65 replies to this topic

[Pulliamj]

April 7, 2015

Got all excited and snatched up one of her eggs.

Edited by Pulliamj, April 7 2015 - 11:44 AM.

[Pulliamj]

All of the queens seem to respond the same way when being disturbed. They run around and check the surroundings; then they go back and hover over their eggs. It almost looks like she is going to gobble them up but she just sits over them. They then get very still. I guess this is normal behavior? They don't seem to be picking at the cotton at all. I can shine lights right on them and nothing but vibrations and opening the lid gets them all stirred up.

[Pulliamj]

https://youtu.be/EfUM253TQ60

[Ants4fun]

Nice video, what did you film with?

[Pulliamj]

Thanks. JVC Everio HD.

[Pulliamj]

By my observations the queens that are laying are laying 1 egg daily so far. Most have 5-6 eggs now.

[Pulliamj]

All 7 of the queens I caught are laying eggs should all have around 10 eggs each in a day or so.

[dspdrew]

That's what I was thinking lol. I was going to cut a slice of it and glue it to the side of a container.

 

Cut a slice of rotted wood and sandwich it between glass and steel or nylon mesh. That's what I'm planning to do one of these days. This would allow for some ventilation.

[Pulliamj]

I just noticed one of the queens containers was slightly tilted and she couldn't walk to the other side where her eggs were. It was only a day at the max. Will these eggs survive?

[Pulliamj]

https://youtu.be/ll_rYSo_iyo

[Pulliamj]

One of the Queens has died no reason that I can tell.

[Foogoo]

One of the Queens has died no reason that I can tell.

 

Queens tend to do that  . I prefer mysterious deaths over obviously preventable deaths like drowning, flooding, smashing, etc. though. 

[Pulliamj]

All but one queen have larva now. I think the one abandoned hers.

[Pulliamj]

[BugFinder]

 

Those acrylic designs would be an especially poor choice for Camponotus. They are believed to be extra sensitive to plastics, on top of being formicines. Because of this, formic acid that the ants secrete will build up on the non-absorbent plastic, and possibly endanger the colony. 

I am an adamant critic of test tubes, and a test tube would be better for a colony of Camponotus than most acrylic nests, in my experience.

 

Not a shred of controlled study or literature to support this, aside from personal anecdotes.  If Camponotus die from their own "formic acid," it's likely due to poor ventilation, and not the nest material alone.

 

I wonder if any of this is why my camponotus is struggling.  I'm down to the queen, 1 worker, and a couple of larvae.

[Pulliamj]

I open mine every few days to check on them. Not sure if this helps or hurts. I have 5 queens that have cocoons. 2 that have abandoned theirs and not layer anymore.

[123LordOfAnts123]

As for Camponotus being sensitive to plastic; I've raised dozens of queens and colonies in plastic test-tubes and containers without issue. Last year I housed a colony of about 800 C. floridanus in an 8x10 plastic box. They did fine and thrived.

[Lamarr]

I used to raise my young queens in set-ups like this and they were all fine given that I don't bother them too much. That's always a bad thing to do.

[Pulliamj]

First babies hatched today. 3 of them. I put a freshly killed spider in there. Should I offer sugar water too?

[dermy]

Yes as that is what the adult workers will need to eat.